Derailing system for railroads.



To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM It. MoCoL- LOM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Derailing Systems for Railroads, of which the following y invention relates to railroad contrivances that are 'used in connection, with sem hores or other railroad signal systems, for tie' purpose of sto ping a train of cars before it reaches a rai road crossing, which is either in use, or not ready for the passage of the cars over the same` n is iclear, full, and exact description.

operate the valve in the pipes of the airbrake system on the locomotive, and cause the train, substantially hereinafter ,fully described, and as more particularly point-cd out in thc claims.

In the drawingsz--Figure `1. is a perspective view of a portion of a railroad adjacent to a derailing switch and an approaching locomotive, `embodying my invention. Fig'. 2 is a' detail view showing in perspective, the operating swee. p of' 'my invention,'drawn to a larger scalo. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another fravnient oi my invention, drawn to a larger sca. c and showing the valve, used by 'me ilvtlic `pipes of the air-brake system, that arc carried. by the lrwomotivc adjacent to ilu` ruiming -con rd oil the sumo. Fig. 4 is a hori- '/.ontal section oi the air-hrake valve removed, from the engine and drawn to a larger scale.

In the drawings, A represents the main railroad track adjacent to the derailing switch B, the mechanism for c erating which is contained in a housing C a ongside said tracks. This mechanism"comprises a motor (not shown) which is actuated by means of an electric circuit S, 4controlled `lrom a Watch. tower E, which latter is 1o- Specication of Letters Patent. App1icaton filed February 24, 1908. Serial No. 417,445.

The object of my invention is to stop a the instant setting of the brakes throughout yur'nrsii) savages PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. McCLLOM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF, ONE-HALF TO JOE LE PENSKE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DERAILING SYSTEM FOR BAILROAI)S.

Yatented Nov. 10, 1908.'-

cated at some, more or less, remote point from the derailing switch. The armature shaft b of the motor referred to extends out through suitable bearings in said housing, preferably, parallel to the rails A, and has its outer extremity journaled in suitable bearings arising from a base-plate c. Slightly beyondthe said bearings t iis shaft is providedV with va beveled Vgear d' that engages a bevel gear, e, on the end of shaft f. Shaft f is arranged substantially at ri ht angles to shaft b and to the tracks A, an is journaled' in lugs g extending u -from the base-plate c, and between said lilies it has an arm F extending therefrom duch consists of a bar of metal, sa five or six feet lonv, the upper. end of whic 1 is bent horizontallD and substantiall parallel to its agis, toward track A a suitab e distance.-

Normally the bar F is adapted to lie dat upon the ground, but when the derailing switch is operated this arm is moved to a. vertical position, substantially as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,l and when in this position its bent end, or sweep G, will be in the way of and will be en aged by the upri ht portion of an L-sha c arm I, whose ot er end is secured to tie projecting extremity of the spindle of an' ordinary valve H, and cause'said valve to o en u a pipe J, connecting the pipes K, of t ie air-brake system carried by the engine, which are genorally located just under or just above the running board thereof. The shape of the housing M of this valve is immaterial, but it is placed and secured to the side of the locomotive, referably, as shown in Fig. l, just above tlic runnin board, and when in this position the arm will stand out from the side of the locomotive, where it will be met and engaged by the sweep G of arm F.

When arm F is moved to a vertical position its lower portion will come in contactwith a brace N, secured to and arising 'from base-plate c on the side thereof opposite the approach of the train, and after the sweep G, has engaged the arm I of the valve and turned thc same, the wider portion of the engine cab will strike against the sweep of said arm and break the same adjacent toV where it comes in contact .with the brace N; where, if desired, it may be made weaker, in any suitable manner, along its length. The object of havin isto than at any other point lessness of t engine.

remove the sweep so that it will not interfere or comelin contact with the sides of the car composing thle train, and it will also be evidence lthe division superintendent of the railroad that the engineer had run contrary to orders and moved his train past the semaphore in case said train was derailed.

In ractice I. prefer to place a semaphore O bac aboutl a thousand feet or 4morefrom the derailing switch, alongside of the track, so that the engineer of an approaching train may have ample time to apply the brakes, when signaled to stop,and t iercby stop the train before it reaches the derailing switch, which latter is opened by electrical means at the same time the semaphore arm is set. If the engineer should not so set the brakes of his train, the emergency air-brake system of the train will be automatically operated just before the derailing switch is reached by the engagement of the sweep Gl with the arm I of the valve N, and the train automatically stopped, regardless of the oversight or caredie engineer.

I do not desire to be conned to the exact arrangement and construction of in improvement asl hereiiibefore describe 'and shown, as it is obvious that the sweep G 'could be forced up into iosition by other mechanism than thatre erred to and the shape of said arm be changedvor other parts of my invention changed 'to meet the condin tions involved in. the application of my iinproved system. As shown the semaphore and derailin switch of my invention are simultaneous y operated b the electrical means shown, although it will be understood this is not absolutely necessary.

'What I claim as new is:-

1. In a railroad systemof the kind de scribed, the combination with a railway engine having the pipes of an air-brakesystem connected therewith, and a valve in said pipes, of means placed alongside the track on which said engine is running and adapted to engage nd operate said valve and then be broken by contact with a portion of the 2. In a railroad system of the kind described. the combination with a railway en? -gine having the pipes of an air-brake system connected therewith, and a valve in said pipes, of a breakable arm placed alongside the track on which said engine isrunning and ada ted to engage said valve and set saidbra es.-

3; In a railroad system of the kind described, the combination ,with a railway en'- gine having the pipes of' an air-brake system connected therewith, and a valve in said pipes, of a' breakable arm having its upper end bent horizontally towards and placed sien 'de tiret-rack er. which said engin-e is run and adapted to engage said valve end set said brakes.

4. In a railroad system of the kind described, the combination with a railway en gine having the pipes of an air-brake system connected therewith, and a valve in. said pipes, of a breakable arm movable in an arc struck from its lower end and placed alongside the track on which said en ine is running and adapted to engage sai valve and set said brakes.

5. In a railroad system of the kind described, the combination with a railway e`nI gine having the pipes of an air-brake system connected therewith, and a valve in said pipes, of a breakable arm movable in an arc gine is running and .adapted to eng ge said arm and set said brakes, and thenbe roken by contact with a portion of the en e.

7..In a railroad system of the d. 'des scribed, the combination with a railway engine having .the pipes of an air-brake system connected therewith, and a 'valve in said pipes, an arm projecting horizontally outwards from'the spindle oi said valve, of a breakable arm placed alongside the track on which said engine is running and 4adapted to engage said iirst'inentioned arm and set said brakes.

8( In a railroad system of the kind described, the combination with aV railway ene havin the i es of an air-brake s stem linnnected gtheregvilah, and a valve iiir said pipes, an arm projecting horizontally outwards vfrom the spindle of said valve, of a breakable arm having its upper end bent horizontally towards and placed alongside i'io the track on which said engine is runnin and adapted to engage said first mentione arm and set said brakes# p 9. In a railroad system of the kind described, the combination with a railway engine having the pipes of an air-brake system connected therewith,- and a valve in said pipes, an arm pro'ecting horizontally outwards from the spindle of said valve, of a breakable arm movable in an arc struck from its lower end and placed alongside the track on which said en in e is running and ada ted to e". ga e said va ve-arm and set said bra es.

10i n a railroad system-of the kind de, scribed, in combination with a railway-engine having the ci' an aisibrake sy connected therewith,I and a valve'in said pipes, an arm projecting horizontally outwards from the' spindle of said valve, of a bre kable arm movable in an arc struck from its ower end, and having Aits ben'tl horizontally towards and aced alongside'the track on which said engine is runnin and ada ted t0 engage said valve-arm an` set said rakes.

11. In a railroad system 0f the kind de scribed, the combination with -a railway engine having the pipes of an air-brake-system connected therewith and a valve in saidl pipes, of a derailing switch electrically actuated mechanism for operating said switch, and. a breakable arm simultaneouslyvmoved by saidmechanism into position to engageA olpposite end P scribed, the combination with a railway engine having the lpipes of an air-brake system connected therewith, and a valve in said pipes, 0f a derailing switch, a semaphore, an electric circuit for actuating said switch 'and semaphore, and means placed alongside the track adjacent t0 said switch and actuated simultaneously with said switch and semaphore to engage said valve 0n the approacli- 1n engine an set the brakes thereo EIn testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 4th day of February, A. D., 1908.'

WILLIAM 1a. IMCCOLLOM. [as] Witnesses:

FRANK D. THoMAsoN, E. Ix. LUNDY. 

